Football: MTN Elite One resumes after boycott threats ⁰

The second half of the MTN Elite One professional championship officially resumed last Sunday, with the first matchday expected to conclude later this week. Contrary to some national football observers’ predictions, all participating teams took to the field. “No team has issued an official statement indicating a boycott,” reported sports journalist Alain Denis Ikoul.

The start of this second phase had been uncertain due to threats of a boycott from several teams. These teams had presented a series of financial demands to the Cameroonian Football Federation (Fecafoot). Chief among these demands was a call for transparency regarding the contractual agreements between professional championship teams and various sponsors. Other demands included the payment of funds owed to the teams for the current season, and in some cases, from the previous year.

This threat of a boycott did not appear to significantly concern Fecafoot. As evidence of this, the Transitional Council for Professional Football (CTFP) consistently maintained that the championship would resume without any issues. The reasons behind the disgruntled teams’ decision to return remain unclear. However, as Alain Denis Ikoul noted, it is not uncommon for professional teams to express one sentiment publicly while acting differently.

Other observers suggest that the momentum behind the boycott movement may have waned. The specific reasons for this shift are currently not clear.

Source: Sbbc